What Could Be
by shynerdylady
Summary: OC with Kakashi. Romance, drama and adventure. Still in conceptualization, but hopefully well on it's way! I hope you like it :D
1. Chapter 1

Ikumi walked down the road that lead to her one bedroom house near the outskirts of Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village. She was heading home from the grocery store, having bought dinner for herself. She also had stopped at the book store near Ichiraku's for a new book to read. She had spent a good while browsing before coming across a fairy tale about the trials and tribulations of love in the world of two shinobi, a man and a woman. It wasn't something she would normally have picked up, but the prologue intrigued her when she skimmed it, testing to see if the book would prove a worthy buy.

Deep down, she related to it's premise.

She smirked to herself as she walked, looking down at the book nestled in her bag of groceries. Her thoughts drifted to Kakashi Hatake as she looked back out at the road ahead of her.

He was her childhood teammate, fellow jonin and friend. She was a year younger than he, Kakashi 26 and she 25 years old. They had learned how to survive in the world of shinobi on their first missions together, having been paired on their first team with the then future Fourth Hokage and Obita Uchiha.

They had lost Obito on their first A-rank mission together, which was to infiltrate and destroy the Kannabi Bridge in the Third Shinobi World War Effort. It had torn them apart at first to lose Obito, but in the end tied them closer together, closer to anyone they would know from that point on.

They always managed to make it to the end, to continue fighting for their village and it's people. For the dream of peace.

Her thoughts momentarily drifted to her other fellow jonin, and her kinship with them. But they quickly returned to Kakashi. He had a deep place in her heart.

They had been through almost everything imaginable together, from becoming genin, chunin, jonin, to completing missions and serving the village as it's protectors. They both also served in the ANBU Black Ops, each heading their own units as captains throughout their time spent in the order. Ikumi left ANBU a few years after Kakashi, joining him as a field instructor almost a year prior to the present.

Her smile waned as her emotions began to take her over at her thoughts of Kakashi.

She had vowed to herself to never let it be known, but she loved him. She loved him more than life itself, and that was why she had to keep it secret. Love in the world of a shinobi always ended in tragedy, and she was convinced they had survived this long together because she hadn't made it known. She was convinced it would bring nothing but harm to Kakashi if she ever admitted her love for him. So she didn't.

Her stomach suddenly grumbled, pulling her from her thoughts. She placed a hand over it and sighed as she felt it tighten in hunger. She wondered what time it was. She had had lunch that day. Her curiosity grew at her sudden appetite.

Her appetite had grown recently. She was eating more, but not gaining any excessive weight. She'd felt a little out of sorts as of late, but attributed it to having been out on missions with her team non-stop for the past 4-5 weeks.

She shrugged the thought and her grumbling stomach away, thinking it had to be her body craving more of what it needed due to her constant activity. Or something like that. She looked up at the sky and went back to thoughts of Kakashi, wondering what he was doing at that moment.

Her ever-present worry for him surfaced as she recalled that he was away on a mission. She bit her lip and hoped he was alright. He was formidable enough and she knew that, but she worried none-the-less whenever they were apart.

She reached the narrow path that lead up to her house, quickly noticing the outline of someone sitting on her front steps. She instinctively activated her Byakugan, recognizing immediately that the chakra signature was Kakashi Hatake's. His unexpected presence almost caused her to stumble over herself.

Her curiosity mounted as she wondered why he was there, seemingly awaiting her return. He was supposed to be out in the Land of Water on a mission, not returning for at least another week or so.

Unknowingly, she clutched her groceries tightly against herself. How coincidental it was for her to be thinking of him and have him seemingly appear, as if her thoughts brought him to her...

She watched as he looked up at her approach. He closed the book he was reading and stood, a smile escaping her as he reached his full height and slid his book into his ninja tool pouch.

She felt her fierce curiosity dim as she read the bleak expression in his revealed right eye. Even though his face was covered by a mask, his headband hiding his left eye, she could tell something weighed on him as she neared him.

"Hi, Kakashi-kun," she greeted him warmly, pausing a couple feet away, "What are you doing here?"

"I got back early from my mission," he said as he rolled his shoulders, his eye glued to hers. "Are you busy?" He glanced to her groceries in hand.

"No, not at all. I just stopped at the store to get dinner for myself. Is everything alright?" she asked, sensing he was on edge. "You look... tense."

He smiled under his mask at her perception. "I'm fine. I just..." he paused, looking away for a brief moment before looking back at her again, "I wanted to see a friendly face."

She could tell he was smiling, but sensed something bigger had brought him there besides want of a friend. She decided she wouldn't press him on the matter. If he had come to talk, he would talk.

"Well you're more than welcome to join me? I'm making saury and greens," she smiled up at him.

"I wouldn't want-" he began but was cut off.

"Kakashi-kun," she waved his words away, "come inside." She walked passed him and up the steps to her door.

He turned and watched as she slid her key into the door and stepped inside. She looked back over her shoulder and frowned.

"Come in," she insisted.

_What am I doing here? I can't..._ he started mentally to himself. He felt his heart sink in his chest as he followed her inside.

"Do you want something to drink while I make dinner?" she asked as she quickly slid off her black open-toed sandals. She looked back at him as he stood in her walkway. He looked on as she disappeared into her kitchen.

"I'm fine." He slid his sandals off and followed her, sliding his hands into his pockets as he stopped at the entrance of the kitchen.

He'd been to her house a few times before. She had only moved in about a year or so ago, around the time she became a field instructor.

It was decorated more so than he remembered it from the last time he had been there. Her kitchen had an ivy plant hanging over her sink that had wrapped itself around her curtain rod, and ran down the sides of the window behind the sink. Her kitchen was painted a light lavender color, almost as pale as the color of her eyes, he noted. She had a fruit basket hanging to the right of the sink, hovering over her dish rack, which was empty. Everything was very clean and looked to be in pristine condition.

He turned his head to look around at the rest of her house. He noticed the large stack of books, scrolls, tomes and other papers sprawled out all over the floor near her television and coffee table. It looked as if she sat there most of the time, reading and studying. He noticed some plants in her living room as well. A medium sized palm-tree like plant that had three skinny trunks sat next to her TV. Another fern-y looking plant sat next to the small couch she had that was pushed up against the divider that separated her bedroom from the living room. Her bathroom was down a tiny hallway, where another ivy plant hung almost to the floor.

Her living room was painted a pale turquoise color. The walls were adorned with art and little home furnishing's here and there. He felt relaxed and at home as he looked around at all the little pieces of her that stood out to him.

"Here," she stepped up to him, having made him a cup of tea despite his earlier refusal. "The tea is from the garden," she smiled up at him as she held it out to him.

He looked down at the piping hot tea in her hands, then into her big, lavender eyes. He felt the weight in his heart lift a little as he took the cup from her. "You grow tea?"

"Mm-hmm. Gardening is surprisingly relaxing," she said as she turned and went to unpack her groceries and begin cooking. "Go ahead and sit down. Do you like mustard greens?" she asked as she ruffled through the bag of groceries.

He nodded as he went to pull down his mask to blow on his tea. "I do."

"Me too," she smiled to herself as she emptied everything out onto the counter. She looked to see Kakashi was just pulling his mask back up over his face as he sat down.

She folded the empty grocery bag and stuck it under her sink next to the other's she had saved. She had seen Kakashi's face before, but only a handful of times. She became rather excited at the inevitability of seeing his face as they ate together that evening. He was an extremely handsome man, she girlishly recalled to herself.

She was about to turn back to the task of making dinner when the faraway look in his eye caught her attention again as he seemingly stared on at nothing. She could definitely tell something was wrong, and it worried her.

She walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "Kakashi-kun?"

He looked up into the familiar, understanding look she always had and knew she could sense his unrest. He assumed his words of wanting to see a friend had also set her off thinking something was wrong.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He enjoyed the feeling of her hand on his shoulder, and the light, alluring nature of her voice. It all felt so good inside to be near her. It felt good to know he could go there, to Ikumi's, and be welcomed without question and treated as a treasured friend. It felt good to know such a place existed in the world for him.

"I'm tired," he said quietly. He looked at her with a sad smile she couldn't see. "I have always lived my life as a protector, but today... I just feel so tired."

Ikumi knew exactly how he felt. She brought her other hand up to hold the small Uchiha pendant at her neck as she sat down next to him, laying the hand on his shoulder on his arm and squeezing gently. The necklace was from Obito, their childhood companion and teammate that died saving them.

"I know," she replied solemnly.

"I've felt like this more and more lately," he admitted, meeting her eyes. "I don't know what's come over me. But I can't shake it." He looked down at her hand on his arm, and again felt a rush of happiness course through him. "I knew if I came here, though... I knew seeing you would make me feel better."

She couldn't hide her smile at his words. It excited her and filled her with glee. She brought her other hand to his arm and squeezed again, "I'm always here for you, Kakashi-kun."

He smiled at the sound of his name on her tongue. It was endearing to know she still felt so close to him, despite the distance truly between them. He laid his free hand over both of hers and squeezed tenderly.

As his gaze lifted from their hands to her face, he was sweetly overwhelmed by her. The way she looked back at him, her lavender eyes looking into him and understanding what it was like to isolate yourself from the world in order to protect it. She understood completely how he felt. And her power; he knew she held the ability to see everything, but with him she didn't need that to understand, to feel how he felt.

But he realized that, in truth, she had no idea how he felt.

Kakashi had feeling's for her, as well. He feared if they were to ever be known, it would only bring harm and complication to her life, as well as his. He didn't want to think about what it would be like to lose her...

But maybe she already knew? he asked himself. He was close with no one else. There was a huge possibility that she had noticed this, but she never spoke of it if she did.

His heart skipped at the hopeful thought that she, too, might feel as he did. Maybe she also hid her emotions away in order to protect them.

_Does she think on me?_ he wondered silently to himself. His heart soared at the possibility.

Ikumi could see he was thinking as he looked back at her. What about, she couldn't guess. But knowing he came to her for comfort made her endlessly happy. She felt confident in her ability to make him feel better. She cared greatly for him and so she knew she couldn't fail.

"I..." he began but cut himself off.

He almost said I love you, but couldn't bring it out of him. He saw she waited patiently to see if he would indeed say something. He wanted to tell her...

Seeing her before him, feeling the warmth of her hands under his... he began to think maybe this is what was missing. Maybe the heavy weight in his heart was the loneliness he knew he didn't have to feel because, well, here was the one important person in his life sitting right in front of him.

Their lives and their positions as Leaf jonin jolted his thoughts. His mind flashed to the potential danger she could be put in if how he felt for her reached the ears of his enemies, and he immediately brushed it all away. He lifted his hand from hers and sat back in the chair with a small sigh.

"I think I've just had a really long week," he chuckled. He hoped he could lighten the tension he'd created in the air about them. He hoped she didn't notice his dark contemplations.

She was disappointed, but could see he didn't want to talk about what he came there for anymore. She just hoped it wasn't because he couldn't tell her.

"Ha, tell me about it," she smirked, going along with his obvious want to get away from what he was previously thinking about. She took her hands back and slapped them lightly on the tops of her thighs, "Well. Are you hungry?

"I am. But I don't want to intrude," he tried to be polite again. He was relieved to see she didn't seem to notice his change of subject too much.

"Your not intruding, Kakashi. It would be nice to eat with someone for a change," she smiled at him as she stood, waiting for him to accept.

He nodded, "How can I say no, then?" He followed her with his eye as she entered the kitchen. She had began talking about how she was going to go to Ichiraku's for dinner, but decided she ate too much ramen and went to the store instead.

'_It would be nice to eat with someone for a change,'_ he replayed her words in his head, watching her put away vegetables into the fridge, then pull out a pot and a pan from under her stove. Those were lonely words disguised by a beautiful smile.

He looked on the table to see she had stopped by the book store as well, the bag with the book still tucked away inside lying next to his arm. He was curious at what book she had purchased.

"Sarutobi-sama has been pretty relentless with missions lately, hasn't he?" she asked as she turned the large burner of her stove on. She looked over at him as she went to open up the package with the fish.

He nodded. "Yeah. I really wasn't expecting to be finished with this last one so soon."

"Mm," she nodded as she ripped open the plastic wrap on the fish, reaching then for a cutting board to put them on, "well at least you get a night's rest before you have to head out again, right?" she chuckled as she pulled a large knife from her knife holder.

He watched on as she cut off the heads of the fish and tossed them into the trash under the sink, continuing to gut the fish and throw the insides into the trash as well. She carried the two fish over to the sink and began rinsing them.

He felt foolish watching on as she did everything.

"Can I help you?" he stood from the table and stepped up next to her, looking over her shoulder as she rinsed all the guts and blood off of the fish.

She looked up at him with a smile, "Of course. Here," she handed the fish over to him as he shoved his gloves into his pockets and pulled his sleeves up, "rinse these, then you can put them back on the cutting board. I'll start the soup."

"Soup?" he asked as he stepped where she had been standing in front of the sink and took over rinsing the fish.

"I'm going to make miso soup. I know you like it," she added as she grabbed a big pot from the stove and came back to the sink. "I need to steal this for a moment," she moved the faucet over to fill the pot up.

Kakashi watched as she blew a piece of hair from her face. It fell back down where it originally was. Grumbling, she used the back of her arm to push it out of her eyes successfully. It made him smile how adorable she could be sometimes. The fact she recalled foods he liked endeared her to him as well.

"Okay, sorry," she moved the faucet back to where he could use it. She bumped him a little as she turned to go back to the stove. "Ooh, sorry, again," she giggled.

"It's alright." He finished rinsing the fish and turned the faucet off. He laid the two dead fish on the cutting board and turned to face her, leaning his back against the counter. He didn't see a towel around, and began to wipe his hands on his pants.

She noticed and let out a tiny gasp. "Shit, I'm sorry. Here," she scrambled for a towel from one of the drawers next to him, pulling one out and handing it to him, "I just washed them all and forgot to put one out."

He laughed at her urgency and expletive. "It's alright. Thank you... is there anything else I can do?"

"Um... do you want to chop greens?" she asked, unsure of what else he could help with.

"Yeah. Are they in the fridge?" he asked, laying the towel down on the counter behind him and pushing away to go to the fridge.

"Mm-hmm. I pickled them myself. They're in the big jar on the top shelf, near the back," she peered over the open fridge door as Kakashi reached in to grab the greens. "Oooh, could you hand me the miso, please?" she reached an arm over the door. He spotted it on the bottom shelf and handed it to her. "Thanks!" she pulled it open as she pulled a ladle from a drawer and began stirring miso into the already bubbling water on the stove.

"You pickled these yourself?" he asked as he set the jar down on the counter to open it. _I knew you liked gardening and stuff, but damn,_ he smiled to himself as the jar popped open. He was impressed with her obvious love for cooking.

"I like it better when I do it, cause I can alter the amount of salt and seasoning's added. I don't like them too strong, you know?" she looked over her shoulder at him as she stirred in more miso. It made her smile to watch him begin pulling the vegetable from the jar and laying it next to the fish. The fish.

She rested the ladle on the handle of the pot and walked over. "Here, let me get these going," she picked up the fish, again brushing up against him as she turned away. She didn't apologize this time.

They were in the kitchen for another 20-30 minutes before everything was ready to eat. Together they made potato and onion miso soup, saury with greens and rice. Ikumi also made a pot of her homegrown tea for them to drink.

"Yay! I'm starvingggg," Ikumi exclaimed giddily as she sat down at the table and looked over all the delicious food they had made.

She watched as Kakashi pulled off his forehead protector and shoved it into his pocket. He then picked up his chop-sticks with his right hand and pulled down his mask with his left. She felt a rush of attraction sweep over her at the sight of the rest of his face. He kept his left eye closed, as the Sharingan was constantly active and it was tiring for him to have to keep that eye open.

He noticed her looking at him and smiled, "You're the only one I trust enough to see how beautiful I really am," he quipped as he reached out to pick up a piece of fish.

His joke made her laugh. "I'm speechless," she joked back, playing along as if his beauty was beyond anything she had ever seen. Deep down, she was ecstatic he trusted her so.

"Heh," he chuckled at her playfulness. He reached out for his tea and took a few sips before going for the soy sauce.

"I hope it tastes good," she looked to him as she lifted her bowl of miso soup to her lips. She paused before drinking her soup, watching him for a reaction. She hoped he liked her cooking.

"I have no doubts," he gathered a piece of fish, greens and rice in his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He closed his eyes and smiled as he groaned happily and chewed. "This is delicious, Ikumi-chan."

She grinned. "Good! Eat up!" she slurped her soup, filled with pure joy at his liking of her cooking.

Kakashi felt his cheeks flush as he recalled her eyes at him when he removed his mask. Despite not knowing how she may have felt towards him, her look definitely gave him an inkling of assurance that she found him attractive. He picked up his tea to hide his smile.


	2. Chapter 2

They had finished dinner and were now sharing a small bottle of sake together in her living room. Ikumi sat on the couch while Kakashi sat on the floor at her feet. They were flipping through a photo album full of pictures from back when she was a little girl, to some more recent photos.

She leaned over and pointed to a picture of the two of them when they were 13. It was right after Kakashi had become a jonin. "Look, you're holding the med kit I made for you."

He peered closer to indeed see the tiny pouch she had sewn together for him as a graduating present. It wasn't customary for teammates to give gifts when their team member moved up in level, but Ikumi was as kind then as she was now and had made him something anyways. He recalled he thought her annoying back then, too concerned with making people happy more so than focusing on the tasks and missions at hand. It made him sad to think he was so cold to her back when they were kids.

"I knew you didn't like me very much, but I still bothered you and got you something. Obito was so annoyed when you asked him for your gift," she laughed lightly at the memory.

He looked up to meet her eyes, "I'm sorry Ikumi-chan," he apologized at her recollection of how he was back when they were young. He didn't bother pulling his mask back up after dinner. He didn't feel the need to hide his face from her. Also, it wouldn't have been possible for him to drink sake with it on.

"Don't be," she assured him. The sad look in his eye made her realize this conversation could go down a dark path and quickly opted to change the subject. She looked for another photo to keep their minds off of painful memories. She slid down onto the floor next to him and tried to find a funny picture.

Kakashi noticed a picture of a group of lavender-eyed children, ranging many different ages near the bottom of the right page. He found her off to the side of the group in the photo, noting the dark, unhappy look on her face and chortled, "Wow, what's with that face?"

Ikumi frowned. "Being from both the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, I was always called names and treated poorly by everyone. But the Hyuga house felt I needed to be in their records, despite my "flawed" existence. I was miserable, growing up there," she recalled the feeling's of that day, and many other days living on the Hyuga grounds, to him.

Kakashi could hear the loneliness in her voice and knew it still hurt her to this day to think back to her childhood.

The Third Hokage had granted her parents amnesty to actively remain a part of their respective clans, despite each clans demand to have them removed and banished from Konoha. He gave care-taking custody to her mother, who was of the Hyuga clan. She was raised away from the home estate, but on the property. When her mother died when she was three due to illness, she was given lodging's on the Hyuga estate, but they were nothing more than a small shack with a cot. She grew up alone and hated.

Her father tried to come and see her when he could, but it was essentially forbidden by the Hyuga family, her existence strain enough on their family without him making them look bad by showing himself on their property.

Her father was killed during a mission 2 years after her mother died. The Third had found out about the conditions she was living under and moved her to small loft close to the Ninja Academy, and encouraged her to join and become a shinobi. She excelled, and that was how Kakashi came to know her.

"Obito told me a little about it," he started. Obito was an Uchiha, and knew that Ikumi was shunned by his clan as well as the by the Hyuga. Her father was disgraced for having a child with a Hyuga, and was only kept actively in the family, again, per the Third's word.

"He was always kind to me. He never treated me bad," she remembered Obito with a sad smile. "I was so relieved when I found out he was going to be on my team."

Kakashi thought back to when they were first assigned their teams. He was angry because he had the quiet girl and the slacker. How thankful he was for the both of them now.

"Have you been to the shrine, recently?" she asked absently. She was looking off to her right as she clutched the pendant at her neck, thumbing it gently.

He nodded as he watched her. "This morning when I got back. Sometimes, I leave at dawn and find myself loosing track of time, standing there. I... I've made so many mistakes..." his voice trailed off into silence as his regrets began to surface.

She turned her head to look at him. He was looking right back at her. "Kakashi... please don't regret surviving." She clenched the pendant of the Uchiha clan tightly in her hand, and gave him one of her charming smiles.

He couldn't help but take it in and feel better at her words.

This would be the perfect time to kiss her...

"Hmmf, look at us. Drunk, depressed and talking of the good 'ol days," she looked away and chuckled. "Just like two old men grumbling on and on..."

He smirked. "You're right."

"Let's not waste time dwelling on the past, when we have so much left to do, hmm?" Ikumi let go of the pendant and stood. She wobbled lightly and laughed at herself, "Oooh, looks like I've had a little more than I thought."

Kakashi laughed lightly at her mild intoxication.

"Do you want some more?" she offered as she made her way to the kitchen.

He looked past her and out the window wondering what time it was. He turned his head to look at the clock on the wall to see it read 10:48 PM. It was late, but he didn't want to leave. Conflict began to brew in his heart and head.

"I'm not going to have anymore," she grinned to herself as she pulled a glass from her cupboard. She went to the sink and filled it with water, sipping from it as she turned off the faucet.

"When are you leaving tomorrow morning?" Kakashi had gotten up and followed her to the kitchen. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned up against the frame of the kitchen entryway.

Over dinner they had talked about their plans for the next few days, both being sent out on high level missions pretty straight away. S-rank missions were often left up to two to of them.

She leaned her back up against the counter as she sipped some more water and tried to remember her plans for the next day. "Um... I think I was going to head out around 6am. I wanted to get to the Land of Rice Fields before the afternoon."

His eye and ears perked up and focused in on where she just said she was assigned to go tomorrow. The Land of Rice Fields was where the Hidden Sound Village was located. That intel was days old, having come from Jiraiya himself.

Kakashi watched as her expression changed with his, Ikumi looking as if she'd said too much. "You're going to the Land of Rice Fields?" he asked.

"Shit," she smirked, "sake..." she shook her head at the light buzzing in her skull. She nodded.

His brow furrowed with concern. "Why would you be sent there, Ikumi-chan? And alone?"

"I was instructed not to discuss it." She turned to face him, leaning her hip against the counter and crossing her free arm under her chest, tucking her hand under her other arm.

"Hm," he conceded, disappointed to know if those were her instructions then it was indeed true she couldn't tell him anything. But that meant she was being sent to investigate the Hidden Sound, there was not other reason to go there, he concluded.

She could see he was in intense thought, thinking and picking apart reasons why she would sent there. She wanted to tell him. It absolutely wasn't a trust issue, it was just her orders from the Third. This mission was for her ears only, no one else.

For this mission in particular, it was for the safety of the village that no one knew her task.

"It's primarily a scouting mission," she offered. That even may have been too much information, but the look on his face.. she had to tell him something.

She could see relief wash over him, but he still looked tense.

Kakashi was obviously worried for her, she noted giddily.

He nodded at her assurance, appeased to know it wasn't primarily a kill mission.

Ikumi decided the only way to know what he was thinking and feeling was to ask. "Were you worried?"

He couldn't help notice the immense curiosity in her eyes at her question. Was he that apparently worried just now? He quickly tried to think of an excuse, but realized his senses were dulled by the sake and she was already reading the expression on his face, most likely concluding he was going to try and make something up...

But in all honesty, a part of him just wanted to tell her the truth. He didn't want to hide his feeling's anymore. It was too complicated.

"Yes," he looked to her adoringly. "I worry for you all the time."

Ikumi wasn't expecting such a straight answer like that. Nonetheless, she was thrilled to receive one. The normally consistent barrier that surrounded and hid away her true feeling's for him was, also, dulled by the warm fuzziness of alcohol, and provided no censor for her response.

"Kakashi-kun..." she set her water down on the counter and stepped forward. Nervously confident due to her liquid courage, she placed a hand on his chest. Seeing no objection to her gesture, she slid her hand down to his waist and wrapped him up into a hug, pulling him close as she gently nuzzled against him, "I worry too."

His entire body tensed at the feeling of her pressing into him, at the feeling of her arms gently tightening around him. He was frozen, with no idea on what to do.

She pulled away slightly to look up at him. Her cheeks were flushed from the sake, and she had that adorable smile on her face again.

He lifted a hand and gently brushed her cheek with the backs of his fingers, moving his hand up to run his fingers through her bangs and push them up off of her forehead ever so slightly.

He now had no doubts about how she felt towards him. The way she closed her eyes and hummed happily at his touch said told him everything.

"Ikumi... " he said her name timidly, afraid to openly refer to the currently displayed affection they were in the middle of sharing.

She opened her eyes and contemplated his tone of voice. She let him go and stepped back a step. Deciding to do what she wanted instead of being afraid, she took his hand in hers. She looked down at their hands as she intertwined her fingers with his, "I don't know, if this is okay, or logical or impulsive... but I do know that I love you," she lifted her eyes to meet his, her love for him ever-apparent in her gaze.

He couldn't hide his giant grin at her confession. Ikumi grinned back at the look on his face, her blush growing a deeper red.

Without thinking, he placed his hands on her cheeks, leaned down and kissed her. He reapplied his lips over hers over and over again, wrapping her up in his arms. Ikumi managed to slide her arms around his neck and returned each kiss with one of her own, tangling her fingers in his spiky gray hair.

Be it a mistake or not, they were both ready to find out which it would be, and suffer it's consequences either which way.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi awoke to the sound of water running. He opened his eyes to see it was dark, but recognized he was in Ikumi's room. He sat up in the bed, looking down to see he was still dressed. Looking to the bathroom and seeing the door closed but the light on, he realized Ikumi was in the shower. He looked over at her alarm clock. It read 4:13 AM.

"Ughh," he moaned as he laid back down. He laid his arms over his face, hiding the giant grin that grew there. He remembered telling Ikumi everything the night before; how much he loved her, how he would always be there for her and with her until the very end of his life.

The weight in his heart had lifted. He realized the heaviness in his heart had been the dread of feeling how he felt for her without telling her. And, unexpectedly, but not un-hopefully, he was now able to tell himself that she loved him back. It was more than he ever imagined getting in return. It was the one thing he wanted, and he was ever thankful to have it.

Every mission, every dangerous encounter, no matter how in control of the situation he may have been, there was always the possibility he wouldn't come back. There was always the possibility he wouldn't get to see her again. Knowing that had been a heavy burden for his heart to carry every day. He'd held it in for years, ever since the day that Obito died when he was 13 years old.

He heard the water stop and the shower door slide open. He looked curiously to the bathroom door, wondering at how long she'd been in there. What time it was flashed to the forefront of his mind again, causing him to sigh. Not having slept very long, he still felt better than he had in years.

Out of nowhere he heard a loud thunk come from the bathroom, followed by a string of expletives.

"Ikumi?" he jumped out of the bed and hurried to the door. He leaned close and knocked, "Hey, Ikumi? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just... stupid," she muttered, groaning as she stood up from the bathroom floor. "I tripped over the rug in here and fell on my face."

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh at how angry she sounded. "Well as long as you're okay...?" he asked with an amused smile.

"I'm fine." Ikumi felt her cheeks grow beet red as she walked to the mirror.

_Real nice, Ikumi. You dumbass,_ she berated herself for her clumsiness and Kakashi's notice of it. She looked at her cheek where she smacked it on the floor, pulling the towel from around her body and drying her hair. She glared at herself as she did so, her cheek harboring no injuries.

Kakashi sat down on the bed and waited for her to emerge from the bathroom. He couldn't stifle his continued laughter at all the angry words she shouted at her fall.

The bathroom door opened and Ikumi came out in a pair of boy-short, black underwear and a black tank top. He watched as she dried her hair and slid open her closet door with her foot. She wrapped her hair up in the towel and reached into her closet to grab her chainmail under-vest and leggings, followed by a black top, shorts and belt.

"Did you sleep okay?" she asked as she glanced to him with a smile.

He nodded, smiling back as he watched her shake her hair from the towel and drop it into her dirty clothes hamper. Her hair was long and dark, blue-ish black in color. It was an alluring sight to watch as she shook it back over her shoulders.

"You can take a shower here, if you want," she offered. She had bent over and picked up a pair of shorts that didn't quite make in to her dirty clothes hamper from a previous undressing. She walked over to her headboard and pulled open it's solitary draw to retrieve her body tape, sitting down next to him and waiting to see what his answer would be before wrapping up her ankles.

"I don't have to leave just yet," he looked into her eyes as he answered.

"Okay."

They paused, looking back at one another. Ikumi turned to face him, setting the body tape down next to her as she leaned forward to kiss him. He accepted, happily, placing a hand on her cheek as he returned her kiss.

It was like a dream, openly sharing affection with one another.

Kakashi pulled away from her, still holding her cheek in his hand, "You are so beautiful," he moved some of her still wet hair from her forehead.

"You flatterer," she smirked as she pulled away from his touch to begin taping up her ankles. All the years of being a shinobi had lightly begun to take their toll on her body, her ankles needing the supple amount of support the body tape gave them.

He could see the light flush in her cheeks and knew she was happy to hear him say that. His eye wandered over her figure in the dim light coming from the bathroom. She was toned, as most shinobi were from rigorous training, but still held a softness at her edges. She was curvaceous, endowed with broad hips, a trim waistline and perfectly-shaped breasts that filled out her frame in a most captivating manner.

"Do you want something to eat?" she asked as she finished with the body tape, standing to pull on her chainmail leggings.

Kakashi's eye followed her as he tuned into the hunger that awoke inside of him at her question. "Sure."

"C'mon," she picked up her chainmail under-vest and looked to him over her shoulder as she lead the way to her kitchen. "Eggs?"

A yawn surprised him as he stood to follow her. Unable to answer he nodded, raising his arms up in a stretch involuntarily at the same time. Yawning always seemed to be accompanied by a stretch, he wondered silently.

He found himself admiring her once again as she entered her kitchen, pulling her chainmail vest down around her and immediately setting herself to the task of breakfast. It fit her snugly, as did her chainmail leggings, leaving little to the imagination. He wondered if she realized this, and just didn't mind him see this much of her after their confessions to one another. His eye trailed down the outline of her hourglass shape, down to her hard calf muscles and petite bare feet. Her toenails were painted a light pink color, he noticed.

"What're you looking at?" her voice suddenly appeared amidst his thoughts.

It almost shook him in surprise. He met her coy smile as she looked back at him, a hand on her hip. He felt his cheeks flush.

"Hm," she smirked, confirming that he had been oogling her. She turned back to the counter, feeling her face heat up. "Do you want rice?"

"Heh, sounds good," he brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "I can make it."

He walked passed her, purposely brushing lightly against her as he pulled open her rice cooker. She smelled like sweet lemons and sugar.

They made breakfast together, Kakashi heating up some of the left over soup from the night before, Ikumi making eggs with green onion, small pieces of ham and tomato mixed in.

"Thank you, Ikumi," Kakashi thanked her as she sat down next to him at the dining table, watching as she scooped half of the egg concoction onto his plate.

"You are welcome," she slide the rest onto her plate, resting the pan on a pot holder on the table in front of her. She smiled as she looked over the food in front of her. "I don't think I've had this big of a breakfast in a long time."

Kakashi was already sipping his miso soup, and nodded in agreement.

They ate quietly for a few moments, enjoying the comfortable silence and the yummy food. Ikumi was scooping rice into her mouth when she realized they didn't have anything to drink.

"Oh, I didn't make tea."

He looked at her, then down at his plate. He was already 3/4th's done. "I'm fine, unless you want some?"

"Wow, you ate fast," she remarked at his almost empty plate and bowl.

"It's delicious," he complimented her. They shared a smile before finishing up their meal.

Kakashi offered to do the dishes, so she could finish up her morning routine and get dressed.

Ikumi always did a mini-workout in the morning that consisted of various stretches, leg lifts, push-up's and lunges, which she had already performed before she had taken a shower. She didn't wear the typical jonin uniform that morning, opting out for a more casual, day to day outfit.

After thoroughly drying it, she tied her long hair up into a ponytail, her bangs still sweeping across her forehead. She wore a black linen top that was sleeveless on one side. The sleeve of the top reached just past her fingertips. It was cinched at her waist by her utility belt. Over her chainmail leggings she had slipped on a pair of cotton shorts, and her black spandex leg warmer's over her calves and to just above her knees. She was left handed, and so taped and fastened her kunai holder to her left thigh.

"Have you seen my tool-" she stepped out from her bedroom, asking him as she scoured the room for her ninja tools bag. Her question paused when she saw it on the floor next to the front door. She had removed it and dropped it there after returning from her last mission.

"Your what?" he asked, just finishing the last dish and resting it in the dish rack. He dried his hands on his legs as he exited the kitchen to find out what she had asked him.

Ikumi was bending over to pick up the bag when he rounded the wall of the kitchen. Seeing her dressed and ready to go made his heart sink a little. Their time together was almost up.

"I was looking for this," she said as she held it in one arm and flipped it open with her free hand. "I don't even know if I'm fully equipped to go. I forgot to stop by the armaments shop yesterday."

He walked over to her as she rummaged through the bag. Kakashi watched on as her lips moved along with her silent counting of kunai, shuriken, paper bombs, etc. Depending on what route she took, he thought, there were a of couple villages she could resupply at on the way before reaching the Rice Field Country.

"I'll have to head over there. What time is it?" she turned her head up to the clock on the wall. It was about 5:30am. "He won't like me stopping by so early."

"Honestly," Kakashi rubbed his cheek, "I doubt he'd mind. Bando isn't one for missing an opportunity to make a profit."

Ikumi chuckled as she flipped the bag closed and brought it to her lower back, fastening it to her utility belt. "True. Still, it is early. But, I need to go," she resigned herself to facing the giant, grumpy man. "Alright. I'm almost ready," she turned and went back into her bedroom.

Kakashi followed. He needed to grab his flack vest and headband, which were discarded at the foot of Ikumi's bed.

His eye scanned the tiny sleeping space. Her headboard was the color of tanned wood, with many nooks and shelves built into it. It was beautifully crafted, and it suited her.

The picture of her and her team was in one of the tiny nooks. She was currently the captain of Team 8, which consisted of Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuga. Hinata and Ikumi were cousins. The Third thought Hinata's reserved and introverted personality would be best paired with familiarity. Also a Byakugan wielder, he thought Ikumi would also help Hinata hone her abilities more thoroughly.

Ikumi's sad words from the night before on her upbringing floated to the forefront of his thoughts. She had been neglected and displaced, a blotch mark on both the houses of Hyuga and Uchiha.

"There," Ikumi sighed satisfyingly.

Kakashi looked to see she had slid her two katana blades into their retrospective slots on the back of her belt. The slots were hidden underneath her pack. She had holstered them so that a handle was at the ready on either side of her.

He couldn't hide his smile at the confident, formidable kunoichi before him. She'd risen from her loneliness and had become one of the most respected member's of the Hidden Leaf Village. Her name was known across the Land of Fire, her prowess also having traveled past those border's and into other lands and villages.

"I guess I should head over to Bando's," she said reluctantly.

"Right."

Kakashi grabbed his vest and slid it on, scooping up his headband and tying it around his forehead.

She watched on as he pulled the cloth of the headband down over his left eye, reaching to pull up the bunched material at his neck that was his mask. She moved swiftly, placing a hand over his and stopping him before he got the mask up over his face. It would have startled him if he wasn't secretly hoping for one last kiss before she left.

"Be careful," she demanded of him as she tip-toed up to his lips.

He placed a hand on her cheek as he parted his lips to kiss her again. They pulled away, looking into one another's eyes and seemingly witnessing their concern for the other quickly escalate to worry.

"You too," he brushed her bangs off of her forehead, tracing his finger down her cheek and along her jawline.

Ikumi grabbed the material at his neck and slid it over his lips, then nose.

"I will."


End file.
